A California family is about to experience a long-awaited reunion after a missing man, gone for 25 years, was finally found. His sister learned about his whereabouts through an unexpected source—a news story that brought her hope after all these years.
It all started in May when an article published by news channels shared the story of a man found in South Los Angeles back in April. He was taken to St. Francis Medical Center in Lynwood, California, but there was one big challenge—he couldn’t speak or share his identity. Hospital staff asked the public for help in identifying him, and the article caught the eye of a friend of his sister. That friend sent it over to her, and the pieces of the puzzle began to fall into place.
For months, the hospital’s social services team worked hard to locate the man’s family but kept hitting dead ends. Then, last Friday, the sister contacted authorities in Lassen County, California, where the man was reported missing back in 1999. She told them she believed the unidentified patient could be her brother.
Deputy Derek Kennemore from the Lassen County Sheriff’s Office took on the case and confirmed the match. The man had been transferred to another hospital, but after tracking him down and working with the Los Angeles Police Department, the deputy confirmed his identity through fingerprint testing. The mystery was solved.
While the man’s name and current health status are being kept private to protect the family’s privacy, the sheriff’s office shared the exciting news that the siblings will soon reunite.
“This case wouldn’t have been closed without persistence,” the sheriff’s office shared. They praised Deputy Kennemore and thanked the Los Angeles Police Department for their help in identifying the man and finally giving his family the closure they’d been waiting for.
It’s a story of patience, determination, and the power of never giving up hope, even when the odds seem impossible. A 25-year-long search is finally over, and a family is set to heal from decades of unanswered questions.